Education

The Economic Stimulus Plan That No One's Talking About: A New GI Bill

Paul Rieckhoff | Posted 01.28.2008 | Politics

Read More: GI Bill, Iava, Education, Veterans, Iraq, Afghanistan, College, President Bush, State of the Union, Economy, Politics News
Paul Rieckhoff

Not only would an updated GI Bill be a prudent investment with huge returns, it would demonstrate to our veterans that they are indeed returning to a grateful nation.

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If I Had the Clout of High-Stakes Testing...

Dan Brown | Posted 01.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Public Schools Education Reform, Teacher Union, Education, Randi Weingarten, United Federation of Teachers, Michael Bloomberg, Joel Klein, Standardized Testing, High-Stakes Testing, New York City, Uft, Politics News
Dan Brown

So what if some kids are being trained to equate a successful year in school with barely passing a standardized exam, and nothing more?

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A Tax to Remember

Carl Pope | Posted 01.21.2008 | Politics

Read More: State Parks, Education, Leave No Child, New Mexico, Taxes, Leave No Child Inside, TV Tax, Environment, Environmentalism, Video Game Tax, Environmental Alliance of New Mexico, Obesity, Sierra Club, Childhood Obesity, Politics News
Carl Pope

A coalition in NM has a new strategy to help get American kids back outdoors: a one-percent sales tax on TV and video games to fund outdoor education programs.

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College Admissions: The Formerly-Privileged Class Feels Threatened

Joie Jager-Hyman | Posted 01.17.2008 | Politics

Read More: Yale Financial Aid, College Admissions, Achievment Gap, Education, College, Cost of Higher Education, Ivy League, Harvard Financial Aid, Competition for Ivy League, Legacy College Admissions, Financial Aid, Legacy, Higher Education, Student Loans, Cost of College, Politics News
Joie Jager-Hyman

Rarely do colleges and university administrators speak openly about the reasons that the class divide has gotten so out of control.

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Rotten Apples in Education Awards for 2007

Gerald Bracey | Posted 01.14.2008 | Politics

Read More: Dunce Awards, Education, Policy, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

In 1996, I codified these comments as "Golden Apples" and "Rotten Apples" awards, what I thought were the dumbest and brightest things that people had done in education in the preceding 12 months.

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Senator Kennedy, No Child Left Behind, and the Dropout Crisis

Dan Brown | Posted 01.14.2008 | Politics

Read More: Public Schools, Class Size, Education, Edward Kennedy, No Child Left Behind, Nclb, George W. Bush, Dropout Epidemic, George Miller, Ted Kennedy, Politics News
Dan Brown

It's politically inconvenient for Washington to recognize that some high schools may tacitly encourage failing students to drop out so that the schools' test scores don't have to include their low marks.

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The U.S Department of Education: Awash in Earmarks

Gerald Bracey | Posted 01.11.2008 | Politics

Read More: Waste, Department of Education, Inefficiency, Earmarks, Legislation, Education, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

While tracking down some details of the Dept. of Education's Inspector General's investigation of the Reading First debacle, I happened also on to his inspection of its earmarks.

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Today is Redemption Day in Schools

Dan Brown | Posted 12.21.2007 | Living

Read More: Christmas, Public Schools, Education, Teachers, Winter Break, Public Education, New York City Teachers, Living News
Dan Brown

The week of winter break is a hard-won milestone in the school year, a crucial opportunity for teacher and students to decompress, spend time with family, and reflect.

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New York City Teachers Agree to Performance Pay, And I Have a Problem With It

Dan Brown | Posted 12.20.2007 | Politics

Read More: Testing, Education, Public Education Reform, Michael Bloomberg, Merit Pay, Joel Klein, Standardized Testing, High-Stakes Testing, Teachers, New York City, Politics News
Dan Brown

The rules of this multiple-choice game are not transferable to the greater world. Such a depersonalized system should not rule education, a wholly human institution.

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What is Competitiveness?

Gerald Bracey | Posted 12.19.2007 | Politics

Read More: US Economy, Standardized Testing, Innovation, Education, Higher Education, Economy, Global Competitiveness Report, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

The next time someone starts ranting about math and science scores dooming us to a future of mediocrity, give 'em a copy of the Global Competitiveness Report.

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No Child Left Alone

Bruce Kluger | Posted 12.19.2007 | Living

Read More: Standardized Testing, Education, Public Education Reform, Public Education, Nclb, No Child Left Behind, Living News
Bruce Kluger

As we earnestly try to fix what's broken, we are, in the process, turning an entire generation of children into a giant flock of canaries in the coal mine.

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That's America Baby

Leslie Griffith | Posted 12.13.2007 | Politics

Read More: Education, Bush SCHIP, Terrorism Insurance, Insurance Companies, Children's Health Insurance, Schip, Politics News
Leslie Griffith

So here we are: living in a country that is so hated by the world and driven by it's own greed; lobbyists are spending millions fighting for higher deductibles on terrorism insurance.

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Squandering America's Intellectual Capital

C. L. Max Nikias | Posted 12.12.2007 | Politics

Read More: College Tuition, Tuition, College, Education, Higher Education, Politics News
C. L. Max Nikias

Lest we be overcome with an unhelpful zeal, we must remember that market forces, are already keeping universities more efficient than many other enterprises.

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The Inmates Who Want to Run the Asylum

Gerald Bracey | Posted 12.12.2007 | Politics

Read More: Standardized Testing, Education, Pisa, Public Education Reform, Public Education, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

The subprime mortgage mess indicates maybe some of schools are a little short on the ethics side, but no one has claimed that Structured Investment Vehicles are the product of stupidity.

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States Need to Follow Harvard: End Loans Completely

Ned Vizzini | Posted 12.12.2007 | Living

Read More: University, Debt, College Loans and Debt, Education, College Loans, College, Making College Affordable, Loans, Harvard, Student Loans, Students, Living News
Ned Vizzini

Harvard has a $35 billion endowment. State governments can't be expected to tap into similar funds to provide free rides for students who deserve them. Or can they?

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Bracey Does Bracey

Diane Ravitch | Posted 12.10.2007 | Politics

Read More: Pisa, Education, David Kearns, Sandia Report, Politics News
Diane Ravitch

The real issue between Gerald Bracey and me is the condition and progress of American education.

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Diane Does Rush

Gerald Bracey | Posted 12.06.2007 | Politics

Read More: Pirls, Test Scores, Education, Public Education Reform, Diane Ravitch, Lee Bray, Pisa, Education Disparity, Public Education, Education Debates, Education in America, Naep, Sandia Report, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

Dianne Ravitch says that "If anything, today's students are performing better than previous students." Does that sound like painting a rosy picture to you?

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Is U.S. Education Better Than Ever?

Diane Ravitch | Posted 12.05.2007 | Politics

Read More: Public Schools, Education, David Kearns, Department of Education, Gerald Bracey, Public Education Reform, PISA, Schools, Public Education, Sandia Report, Politics News
Diane Ravitch

What was the Sandia report and why does it matter? And how did I allegedly conspire to "suppress" it?

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Literacy

Gerald Bracey | Posted 12.04.2007 | Politics

Read More: PIRLS, Race Gap, Education, Department of Education, No Child Left Behind, Education Gap, Margaret Spellings, Public Education, Nclb, Naep, Global Competitiveness Report, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, World Economic Forum, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

Is the sound you just heard the Department of Education building a massive wall against reality? If we're making progress, how come it doesn't show up on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study?

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Hey Science, Don't Mess with Texas

Zach Marks | Posted 12.01.2007 | Politics

Read More: Texas, Science, Intelligent Design, Education, Politics News
Zach Marks

It can't be a good thing when a state fires its head of science education for promoting science education.

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Forgetting Our Biggest Special Interest: The American People

Marc Lampkin | Posted 11.30.2007 | Media

Read More: American Education, Anderson Cooper, Education, Grover Norquist, Republican CNN/Youtube Debate, Republicans Education, Media News
Marc Lampkin

The media's refusal to question Republican's on education in the most watched debate plays into the kind of patronizing, partisan stereotyping that hurts the political process by disregarding the will of the American people.

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American Voters Speak on Job Skills: Oh, Please, Just Shut Up

Gerald Bracey | Posted 11.28.2007 | Politics

Read More: Nea, Education, American Electorate, American Voters, Pbs, George W. Bush, 2008 Election, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Politics News
Gerald Bracey

The immediate questions that come to mind -- or certainly should come to mind -- are "What constitutes a 21st century skill?" and then "Who gets to define such a skill?"

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Imagining American Leadership

C. L. Max Nikias | Posted 11.26.2007 | Business

Read More: Innovation, Education, Research, Arts Funding, USC, Engineers, Scientists, Business News
C. L. Max Nikias

We require a national renaissance of the arts and humanities, so that American imagination can continue to fuel American innovation.

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Obama's Education Plan Partly Funded By Delaying Some NASA Programs

Chicago Sun-Times | Lynn Sweet | Posted 11.20.2007 | Politics

Read More: Clinton Swipes Obama's Experience, 2008 Elections, Bill Clinton, Clinton 20-Year Plan Obama, Clinton Gerth, Democratic Presidential Race, 2008 Election, Obama, Clinton Hits Obama's Experience, Barack Obama, Breaking News, Education, Obama Education Plan, Clinton, Jeff Gerth, Obama Education, Democratic Presidential Candidate, Clinton on Obama's Experience, Breaking Politics News, Hillary Clinton, Obama 20-Year Plan, Politics News

White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), on a New Hampshire swing Tuesday, is unveiling an $18 billion education program to be partly funded by...

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This Just in: Pleasure Reading Makes a World of Difference

Dan Brown | Posted 11.20.2007 | Living

Read More: No Child Left Behind, Literacy, Education, High-Stakes Testing, Standardized Testing, Mcgraw-Hill, National Endowment for the Arts, Reading, To Read or Not to Read, Nea, Living News
Dan Brown

Education laws in America, most prominently No Child Left Behind, have turned away from encouraging kids to read and have put focus on constantly testing proficiency. This obsession has not paid off with results.

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